YPSILANTI, MI – Today, Growth Energy CEO Emily Skor testified at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) hearing on the proposed rule to implement year-round sales of E15, a fuel blended with 15 percent ethanol. Skor spoke alongside farmers, retailers, and ethanol producers in support of this proposal, pressing EPA to finalize the rule before the June 1 deadline.
In her testimony, Skor emphasized the economic, engine performance, and environmental benefits of E15: “For motorists, the value proposition of E15 is clear. Drivers typically save up to 10 cents per gallon, while E15’s superior octane rating provides better engine performance. The value to our planet is equally compelling. E15 is a cleaner fuel that reduces evaporative emissions and greenhouse gas emissions. It replaces toxic fuel additives associated with cancer, asthma, and smog.”
And stressed how allowing E15 sales year-round will be the shot in the arm rural America needs:
“Eliminating this barrier promises to unlock an estimated 1.3 billion gallons of new annual ethanol demand. Over time, that added demand could grow to seven billion gallons, lending an economic lifeline to rural families…. Across the heartland, more than 200 biofuels plants support their communities, and these plants are under incredible strain. Many have already shut their doors or idled production in recent months. The recent flooding across the Midwest has only exacerbated these tough times, not to mention the 2.6 billion gallons lost to small refinery exemptions.
“With year-round E15, EPA has the opportunity to give American farmers and producers the ability to grow greater demand and expand market access for their homegrown fuel.”
The proposed rule would lift a nearly thirty-year-old limitation on E15, which restricts sales between June 1 and September 15. Today’s hearing is part of the public comment period of the rulemaking process, which ends on April 29. EPA has committed to completing the rulemaking process by June 1, 2019.
Click here to read Growth Energy CEO Emily Skor’s testimony to EPA.
Submit a comment to EPA in support of E15 year-round here.